Public Safety

Galax police continue investigating an armed robbery that occurred May 17 at Tienda Hispana La Estrella on Hanes Road.
Witnesses said two men entered the store just after 9 p.m. and demanded cash. One displayed a black semi-automatic handgun. The pair fled with an undisclosed amount of cash.
The Galax Police Department have released a possible vehicle description: a black Dodge Charger with nice wheels, black tinted windows and West Virginia license plates.

The 2012 national “Click It or Ticket” seat belt enforcement mobilization kicks off Monday to help save lives by cracking down on those who don’t buckle up.
The Galax Police Department is joining with other state and local law enforcement officers and highway safety advocates across the country to strongly enforce all traffic laws, especially seat belt laws, around the clock.
While Virginia’s seat belt use rate increased slightly to 81.8 percent — up from 80.5 percent in 2010 — there is still much work to be done.

HILLSVILLE — Caller ID can come in handy when trying to protect yourself from the latest phone scam.
Carroll Sheriff’s Investigator Kevin Kemp recently used a number collected by a citizen targeted by a scammer to check up on the latest attempt to defraud people of their money.
The investigator received five reports in 24 hours of a man with a Jamaican accent who is calling Carroll County residents and saying they have won $950,000 and a new Mercedes-Benz from the Publisher’s Sweepstakes.

Two people have been arrested and charged with a series of offenses that occurred on May 8 in Galax.
Shortly before 11 p.m. on Tuesday, Officer Chris Hines of the Galax Police Department was dispatched to Poplar Street to investigate the suspicious conduct of two individuals.
According to a police report, Hines observed a male and female acting unusual. During a field interview, Hines' observations led to the discovery of suspected narcotics and what he believed to be stolen property.

HILLSVILLE — Authorities locked down Carroll County High School after a male student not in the facility at the time Tweeted and texted a threat of violence against another student on Thursday, according to authorities.
Carroll Sheriff J.B. Gardner confirmed that a 17-year-old male has been charged with electronically communicating a threat.
Authorities did not identify the student involved, because he is a juvenile.

Miguel Ortega Rodrigues, 23, of Sutherland Road in Galax, allegedly fled the scene after crashing into a Galax-Grayson EMS ambulance, said Galax Police Captain James Cox.
The Galax Police Department is searching for Rodrigues, and plans to charge him with hit-and-run, driving on a suspended license and failing to obey a stop sign.

HILLSVILLE — One Dugspur resident and three people from Hillsville were charged when town police went to investigate an April 16 domestic disturbance.
Hillsville police report that Terry Jean Walls, 39, of Dugspur and William Brent Walls, 21, of Hillsville each were charged with one count of assault and battery.
Brianna Lashei Floyd, 21, of Hillsville was charged with two counts of assault and battery, police say.
Justin Lee Quesenberry, 26, of Hillsville was arrested on a fugitive warrant from South Carolina.